Fading
by Alena S. Anigor
Summary: One lonely spirit of the Millennium Puzzle contemplating his life. Slight AU and slight angst. Reviews are welcome.


Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh and that's a fact.

**Fading **

-by Alena S. Anigor

**###**

Solitary.

It was the only word he could use to describe the place he was residing in. It was solitary and abandoned, with only one shiny beam of light, seeping through one tiny hole in the ancient wall of the tomb; solitary and lost in its own space and time, just like he was.

He looked around the spacious structure and inhaled the crisp air that surrounded the place he was standing in. It smelled of sand, of something old and long forgotten, of loneliness. Stone beside stone, rock on the rock, familiar signs and symbols etched on every column in the large room. And yet, he still couldn't decipher them; he was still powerless, his memories pale and useless, and he was still trying to catch tidbits of his past and his life he longed to remember so much. But what was the use, when he was all by himself? When he was alone, abandoned and forgotten just like every piece and every thing in that room...

He turned around, observing a piece of stone that resembled a throne. Slowly, hesitantly, he took one step forward, shaky and uncertain. The throne invited him, silently and alluringly and violet orbs widened in sweet anxiety and curiosity. The throne...was it meant for him? Was it the place where he used to sit once? One step turned into a few, and he stopped abruptly, his breath caught in his throat, trapped and unwilling to come out. His heart raced; something seemed so familiar, so natural to him about that simple piece of rock in the bottom of the shattered room.

The shiny beam of light illuminated the ground in front of the throne, illuminated one spiky haired boy, standing in the middle of the room, eyes wide in wonder. The throne was still inviting him to approach it, to sit there and to claim what once belonged to him once again.

Slowly, he stretched one pale hand and touched the cold stone with idle fingers. A few moments later, he withdrew it as his eyes widened again, sudden images flashing through his mind, blurry and mixed with raw emotions. He let out a gasp, letting his hand drop on the cold stone again, and he left it resting there for a while.

Yes, this piece of rock, the cold stone that was once a throne, was once a piece of him. One lost memory got back again, reminded him one more time who he really was. There were so many things he didn't understand, but he hoped that coming to this place, would be a good start. At least, he could still find his past here, his long forgotten memories and his long forgotten life, although he had lost everything that mattered to him in this life.

Gently and almost regretfully, he sat on the throne, letting his hand rest on the cold stone, the other hanging loosely down the other side, clutching a shiny pyramid – shaped thing between his fingers.

The Millennium Puzzle.

He exhaled, leaning back into the coldness of the throne, shivering slightly, but the coldness was soothing and made him relax. This was it; this was his inheritance, his destiny; a place where he belonged. This was the missing piece of the puzzle, a puzzle that was in fact, his life.

Wearily, he opened a pair of amethyst eyes and raised his hand to look at the Millennium Puzzle. Once solitary and lonely place like the one he was sitting in. Once a place where he resided, waited for someone to unleash him, to wake him up from a dream, to do the inevitable and to wake the legend.

Yuugi Mutou.

A pale looking spirit of the Millennium Puzzle smiled softly. Yes, Yuugi was the one, an image of himself; a being destined to wake him up and become a legend as well. The boy who solved the puzzle and awakened him from a long time of peaceful slumber inside the dark dungeon with no light.

Amethyst eyes saddened slightly. A sorrowful and anguishing gleam shone in them now. If only Yuugi was here to share his memories with him...if only he was here to see the place he used to call home. The spirit lowered his head and closed his eyes. So many years passed by, and one day...Yuugi was gone.

A sharp intake of breath was heard through the large room. Specks of dust flew and danced over the shiny beam of light, oblivious to the spirit of the Puzzle, sitting on the throne and mourning. Pale fingers played with the Puzzle lightly, twisting and turning it around, while blond, spiky bangs tried to shadow a pair of eyes shut tightly, and lips curled into a frown, into a thin line.

He had to be strong; he had to battle those emotions of anguish and sadness, loneliness and isolation. He had to be strong, he can't give in...

And the emotions betrayed him the moment one single tear rolled down his pale face and dropped onto the solid rock of the throne. He was alone and nothing could change that again. Yuugi was gone...after so many years by his side, the boy...no, the old man had to leave him. The spirit almost let out a choked sob when he remembered, still remembered the first day they met, all the adventures they had, all the duels they won...and the face of that same old man lying on the bed and smiling up at him.

_Don't worry, Yami_, he said, lips curled into a gentle smile, _we will meet again some day...I'm sure we will...Don't forget me, okay?_

And how could he? It was impossible to forget the memories of his life; the life he was still living, wandering around and searching for something that was already lost. Everyone was gone. Joey, Tea, Tristan...Mai and Serenity, and even the Kaiba brothers...The only one who still remained a mystery, was Ryou Bakura. He disappeared suddenly and never came back again.

But the lack of those people was even worse than the lack of his memories. He just couldn't get used to the life without them...without Tristan and Joey bickering, without Tea's cheerful smile, without Kaiba constantly threatening Yuugi and him to beat them in a duel...he wanted them back. He wanted them to come back and light up his heart again.

Now, his heart was wrecked and empty just like the large room he was sitting in; even the shiny beam of sunlight started to disappear slowly...He smiled bitterly when he realized the light died out in his heart a long time ago. How many years have passed? He didn't count anymore. He kept on wandering around aimlessly, trying to find out about the life he once possessed and had, but now, came to the conclusion that he didn't care anymore. Everything that made him who he was, everything that made him feel and smile, was gone now...

Pale fingers loosened and the Puzzle fell out of his hand, landing on the cold rock with a thud. It rolled a few times then stopped at his feet. There was no one who could carry it anymore. No one.

The beam of light started fading, and the ghostly figure on the throne started to disappear. The spirit closed his eyes softly, a small smile on his lips, as he became only a shadow at first, lingering above the throne, then disappeared with the beam of light, leaving only one forgotten puzzle of life and a cold, shattered room behind.

_At last, we will meet again, my friends._

**###**

**A/N**

I honestly have no idea what possessed me to write this...It just came to me while I was watching the wind swaying tree branches...Makes no sense? I know! I guess I just had the need to write some angst. [shrugs]

Any angst driven comments?


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